Verona (Something to remember)

Peter Gabriel Live

26th of September, 2010 – Arena di Verona

New Blood Tour

For the second time this year I had the pleasure to be present to a PG show! This time it was in a spectacular location, the ancient Arena di Verona, and that evening was special because of the opportunity to meet two RWR fellow remixers, HaveMercy and idefix.

BEFORE THE CONCERT

Before to start, Peter did a little introduction to the show in italian, explaining how they created a new story using snippets of stories created by others (this is a little bit like remixing, I'd say!)

After this, Ane Brun with her guitar sang a couple of nice songs,

ANE BRUN

then there was a long break, about 15-30 minutes, I thought about technical problems due to video recording, but in Richard Chappell Tour Diary the story is a little bit different.

As in Paris, there were two big screens flanking the stage.
The first part of the concert was all with Scratch my back songs, starting from Heroes, ending with Fade Out, with little musical details different from the record.
Video effects were similar to the Paris ones, but not identical. I liked very much the mirrorball made of light points on the screen/curtain.

MIRRORBALL

The boy in the bubble: same kind of geometrical images, but not identical to Paris. Only for Listening Wind all is exactly the same.
In The book of love cartoon, Peter lift the bridal veil, but discover himself, so he run away.

FLUME

I remember a very intense interpretation for Fade out.
At the end of first part, they played Wallflower. He said this is a little bit different from usual, but without explaining why. Wallflower was very touching. Black and white images of Peter and of a violoncello, with an orange border on the screens.

Great concert!

Part two
San Jacinto
Peter inside the orbit of eagle’s eye, with a mirror, sends a ray of light towards the audience.
Digging in the dirt
Fly larves images. Rethinking about it, and differently from other PG songs, I think I prefer the original version than the orchestral one.
The Drop
It’s the first time I hear it live! Not at the piano but in orchestral version, beautiful, maybe even more beautiful than the original. On the screens the Up’s rag babies are falling down.
Signal to noise
Fantastic. To me it remains his most meaningful song. Long talked introduction about a photovoltaic central in France, little mirrors looking at the sun, and how the world would be if everybody could communicate each other like with cellphones. Ane Brun face, distorted by spectrograms like a Middleage Madonna, is remembering Munch’s Scream, or Waters’one.

SIGNAL TO NOISE

Solsbury Hill maybe a little bit slower than usual?

Red Rain
Red drops on faces (video effect)
Red rain is always fabulous. It was funny to see how technicians produced those effects. There was a sort of scanner on which they applied a red fluid. In The rhythm of the heat (overwhelming song!)
they put mud, so the face on the screen is hidden by it.

THE RHYTHM OF THE HEAT

Mercy street
Confused, disturbing images
Washing of the water
In duet with Melanie, I think this way is really great!

BLOOD OF EDEN

INTRUDER

A “post it” on the screen asking if we want the encore…
It’s time to go down, a little bit closer…

In your eyes
and
Don’t give up
both with Ane Brun, very intense interpretation.

The nest thet sailed the sky
I was quite near to the stage…
He looked at the people with an empatic look. It seemed to me he was sad for not being able to do more, like missing a total fusion as in “Lay your hands” times.

This is more than I can take!
So, the moment has come for us all to go to sleep…

                                
                                                                                     Paola AKA tethia
                                                                                      24 ottobre 2010